Bajan Girls Showed Fight Against England - Strategic Plan Necessary

President of BNA Juanita Cordle making a point a last year's
U 16 Tournament in St. Kitts

According to Netball Planet Barbados made England work for their  five goal victory in the second test of their recent tour of England.  Not bad for the 11th Place team in the world versus the 3rd place.  Barbados has always had the talent and Anna Shepherd has my support as coach because she has been able to take Barbados (and Antigua) the highest placing in the world ranking of any senior coach we have ever had.  Her instincts are good, and as part of her decorated 1987 Scotland World Champion team and having played under Shepherd for a number of years, she is one of the few coaches in Barbados that doesn't pigeonhole players.

Of course England would have taken this scoreline very hard and the final game 71-42 defeat over Barbados came as no surprise being an old hand at the psychology of the game.  Barbados also is not fit enough physically nor mentally to take on the kind of assault that would have come from England's bruised egos.  The game would have however been a good learning experience for the team demonstrating how far they have to go.  The ability to raise their game despite injury both mental and physical and the resolve to dig deep down and proclaim that you are the best and play like it.  The difference at this level is fitness, strategy and belief.

With the foundation for a sound coaching team in place, Barbados needs to have a strategic plan for netball if we are to stop moving in a vicious unproductive circle.  President Juanita Cordle has to layout a strategic plan to take netball in Barbados forward.  Everyone loves a winner.  The Association must go after small victories to achieve the greater ones.  Netball Shots will be watching on closely and will give the Association its full support.

Jamaica Snubbing CNA U16 Again

The Gleaner newspaper report below by Robert Bailey tells the tale of Jamaica yet again not attending the Caribbean Netball Association's U16 Jean Pierre Tournament for the second straight year.  Jamaica did not attend last year's tournament in the beautiful island of St.Kitts contrary to the inaccuracy of the report, St. Lucia are the current champions.

It seems like the Junior team is now going down the same road that the senior team did years ago.  They were compelled to play AFNA and CNA Tournaments to qualify for the world games.  Of course the rationale is that the region is not good enough.  Jamaica does not see itself playing a role in helping to develop the region but yet it wants our vote in the boardroom.

On Sunday while teaching the Event Planning Module of the Olympic Academy's Sports Management Course, I was asked how come the region has not benefited from having a Jamaican president at the helm of the International Federation of Netball Associations for the last umpteen years.  Any right thinking individual can work this out.  

This story of self interest however tells the tale well.  Also reflect on the condescending tone of the President as she refers to, and disassociates Jamaica from, the Caribbean Netball Association of which they are members.  So much for integration, one Caribbean, mumbo jumbo.

....

"JAMAICA will not be participating in the Caribbean Netball Association Under-16 championships this year, choosing instead to battle their England counterparts in a three-match series, which will be held in Birmingham next month.

"Birmingham is sponsoring most of the players and so we can't turn that down, and, therefore we have decide not to participate in the Caribbean junior tournament for this year," Jamaica Netball Association (JNA) president Marva Bernard told The Gleaner in an interview yesterday.

"These people in the Caribbean took long to tell us the date of the cham-pionships, and when they did we had already made our plans to go to Birmingham," she said.

Jamaica has been dominating the Caribbean junior tournaments overs the years and have won the last three stagings. This year's tournament will be held in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Minnett Reynolds-coached Jamaicans are scheduled to oppose their Birmingham counterparts on April 12 and April 13. The junior Sunshine Girls will play their final game against their English counterparts on April 15.

"Every year we go to the Caribbean Under-16 Tournament, but this year we accepted the invitation to go to Birmingham, so as to give the girls a chance to see a different style of play," said Bernard.

"We also are going to be playing against England's under-17 team and so this will be good match practice for them, rather than just going to the Caribbean Championships every year," Bernard added. "We will also be looking to see which one of them will make the transition to our national Under-21 programme." 

Condolences

Guyana Management on the bench watching the Guyana vs Bermuda
game

Before I complete my under 16 blog post of the this year's Jean Pierre U16 Caribbean Netball Association Tournament, I would like to offer condolence to the Guyana under 16 team whose manager, Shondelle Samaroo died tragically in a traffic accident this morning.  According to reports she was also the secretary of the Guyana Netball Association.  Please remember the Guyaneese netball fraternity in your prayers.


Condolences are also extended to the immediate past president of the Barbados Netball Association Octavia Gibson and her family on the passing of her sister Barbara Reid.  Reid who lived overseas will be brought to Barbados to be buried on April 30.  The service will take place at Holy Innocents Anglican Church at 9:00 am.

Barbados Boost Goal Difference Against Dominica

Barbados Goal Attack Sheniqua Thomas on the Defence

 Cognizant that they have to boost their goal difference in the U16 Jean Pierre CNA Championship if they are to snatch this year's competition from St. Lucia, Barbados came out in the evening with guns blazing limiting Dominica to just 9 goals to their 46.

An unchanged starting line up from the morning side of Shonica Wharton (GS), Sheniqua Thomas (GA), Tia Jones (WA), Tyneisha Rowe (C), Sade Browne (WD), Sade Sargeant (GD) and Shanice Wharton (GK).

The only blunder the team made was assisted by the coach who changed the WA Tia Jones in the second quarter.  Jones has been the play maker on the attack all tournament and with her out the Barbados attack struggle to find a rhythm.  That was their weakest quarter the interval scores being 12-2, 20-5 and 35-7.

Sweet Revenge for Barbados U16 Netballers Against St. Lucia

Barbados Shooter on the Ball

 Barbados are back in the runnings to becoming this year's CNA Jean Pierre U16 Netball Champions.  As I chanted a little "I say B for Barbados" to myself in the stands, I could feel the positive energy radiating from the Barbados team for this game.  They wanted a this victory and played their hearts out from the first whistle catching the St. Lucians flat footed and taking an early 5 goal lead which the St. Lucians pull back to a decent 9 -7 to Barbados by the end of the first quarter.

Barbados led all intervals 9-7, 18-15, 26-19 to finish with a well fought 33-31.  The starting line up for Barbados was (GS) Shonica Wharton, (GA) Sheniqua Thomas, (WA) Tia Jones, (C) Tyneisha Rowe,  (WD) Sade Browne, (GD) Sade Sargeant, and (GK) Shanice Wharton.

St. Lucia fought valiantly in the final quarter but the Barbados third quarter lead was too much and at the end it was the Bajans jumping for victory.

The two top teams this year will be striving to get big scores in their final games as they seek to improve their goal averages.  In the shooting area goal shooter Wharton scored 33 0f 29 while Thomas netted 5 of 9.

St. Lucia U16 talking to coaching staff

Other morning games.  Guyana 23 Anguilla 19
Trinidad and Tobago 32 - Dominica 19
Bermuda 19 - St. Kitts 12

Barbados U16